Ready for your holiday office party?

Barbara Pachter, who wrote “Greet! Eat! Tweet,” has some tips for success at the holiday party.
(My own comments are in parentheses.)

1. Attend. You may not want to go but attendance at the company holiday party isn’t optional. Your absence will be noted, and most likely, noted by your boss and other higher ups.
(Hopefully, you won’t be sent to the principal’s office.)

2. Dress appropriately. It is a party, but your attire needs to be suitable for a business event, not a nightclub.
(So much for the “Work Sucks” tank top.)

3. Prepare your significant other. Many times significant others are included. Let them know about appropriate dress and topics of conversation. His or her behavior will reflect on you.
(Chapter two in the Stepford Wives handbook.)

4. Bring a hostess gift. if the party is held at someone’s home, a small gift is appropriate. examples include cocktail napkins, a box of chocolates or a small candy dish.
(Don’t even think about regifting that Harley-Davidson coffee mug.)

5. Plan conversations ahead of time. “One always speaks badly when one has nothing to say,” said Voltaire. Don;’t just talk business. Be up-to-date on current events and happenings in your community. Read the newspaper, your online news sites, newsmagazines, company publications and your professional journals.
(This sounds like more preparation than actually going to work.)

6. Schmooze. Talk to people you know and don’t know. Don’t spend your time tweeting or texting. Keep the conversation upbeat. Complaining about the company or the economy is a downer.
(Don’t complain about the company? It’s going to be a quiet party.)

7. No flirting. This is not the time to hit on the boss’s spouse.
(But it might be time for Mandy in accounting.)

8. Stay sober. It’s easy to do something outrageous when you’ve had too much to drink. One tip: order a drink you don’t like and sip it slowly all night.
(Or you could just have a Coke.)

9. Say “goodbye” and “thank you” to the host and party organizers. You’ll want to send a thank-you note, also.
(Can you say bye-bye to the senior VP?)

10. Don’t post negative opinions/photos about your party on social media sites. Someone’s unbecoming behavior shouldn’t be discussed or shown on Facebook.
(Maybe just put it out there in the way of a poll.)

Author: Steve Tarter

Born in England, raised in Boston, I'm a Midwestern transplant who's called Peoria home for the past 40 years. Married with four grown children, I enjoy journalism, film noir and radio drama. As the song goes, I like coffee; I like tea. Former president of the Apollo Theater in Downtown Peoria, I'm looking for a new raison d'etre.
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